1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collection devices, and more specifically, to collapsible devices for collecting and bagging trash, garbage, debris and animal feces left on the ground without requiring the user to bend over or to manually touch the collected items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the area of ground and yard maintenance, whether public or private, it is often the case that garbage and debris is left on the ground or blown in by winds. For those individuals with pets or in rural areas, there is often the deposition of fecal matter by pets or wild animals roaming the grounds. As such, in order to maintain a clean and healthy environment for people, someone must periodically pick up, bag and dispose of the garbage, debris, fecal matter and other miscellaneous matter deposited on the ground. In public and business areas, this is typically accomplished by a maintenance crew, whereas in private locations it is done by the property dweller.
To do this task in a sanitary and convenient way, a collection and bagging device that allows a user's hands to be distant and/or separated from the refuse and/or feces when collecting, bagging and disposing of the refuse is desirable. It would be further desirable if the collecting, bagging and disposing device would be collapsible in order to have more efficient storage of the device when not in use or when transporting the device. To respond to such a desire, there are numerous proposed collecting devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,066, issued on Jun. 27, 1967 to Johnston, discloses a pickup device with curved jaws and an elongated handle for collecting trash but does not provide a means for bagging the collected trash or for collapsing the collecting device when not in use for convenient storage. Nor does the pickup device provide a means to get underneath the feces or trash in order to assure that the material being collected does not get smashed in the jaw teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,084, issued on Nov. 2, 1971 to Mares, discloses a hand operated shovel for collecting refuse wherein a user rotates a handle in order to open and close the trash collecting clamshell scoops but does not provide a means for bagging the collected trash or for collapsing the collecting device when not in use for convenient storage or for getting underneath the feces or trash in order to assure that the material being collected does not get smashed in the jaw teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,468 issued on Feb. 3, 1981 to Hastings, discloses a refuse collection device with an elongated handle and clamshell-like scoops that is in a normally closed position but does not provide a means for bagging the collected trash or for collapsing the collecting device when not in use for convenient storage or for getting underneath the feces or trash in order to assure that the material being collected does not get smashed in the clamshell scoops.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,540,470 and 6,796,587 issued on Jul. 30, 1996 to Lu and on Sep. 28, 2004 to Tsou both provide collection devices utilizing a horizontal scooping mechanism utilizing a paddle and an attached collection bag mounted to the side of the collection device. However, in the operation of these devices it is the paddle that must come in contact with the feces or trash in order to push the material into the bag thereby contaminating the paddle which necessitates the constant cleaning of the paddle after every use. U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,869, issued on Aug. 22, 2006 to Jung, discloses an animal waste collection device for use with a bag but the device does not provide a means for collapsing the collecting device when not in use for convenient storage or for getting underneath the feces or trash in order to assure that the material being collected does not get smashed in the jaws.